- Home /
- Collection /
- Publications /
- Chairs... /
- Preparing... /
Chairs for the Saloon at the Royal Pavilion, Brighton
These chairs are to return to the Royal Pavilion, once they have been re-gilded
Preparing the balls
There are several stages in the preparation of the balls before the gold can be applied:
The last stage before gilding is to apply the bole, which is a very fine clay mixed with a small amount of glue. This provides a rich backing colour for the gold leaf, which is so thin it takes on qualities of the colour underneath.
The replacement wooden balls, ready for their coat of gesso. The gesso is applied with a brush and built up in three or four layers, and then smoothed.
The initial smoothing removes the brush marks from the dried gesso.
After a second smoothing with a damp cloth to remove any scratches in the gesso they are now ready for the next step.
A thin layer of yellow ochre and weak glue is applied to the smoothed gesso. This partially seals the surface and provides a suitable backing colour if there are any misses in the gilding.
The last stage before gilding is to apply the bole, which is a very fine clay mixed with a small amount of glue. This provides a rich backing colour for the gold leaf, which is so thin it takes on qualities of the colour underneath.
The replacement wooden balls, ready for their coat of gesso. The gesso is applied with a brush and built up in three or four layers, and then smoothed.
The initial smoothing removes the brush marks from the dried gesso.
After a second smoothing with a damp cloth to remove any scratches in the gesso they are now ready for the next step.
A thin layer of yellow ochre and weak glue is applied to the smoothed gesso. This partially seals the surface and provides a suitable backing colour if there are any misses in the gilding.
The last stage before gilding is to apply the bole, which is a very fine clay mixed with a small amount of glue. This provides a rich backing colour for the gold leaf, which is so thin it takes on qualities of the colour underneath.
